Hartford got off two a hot start on a solo homer by Max White on the second pitch of the game by Elih Villanueva. Two batters later Drew Weeks homered to make it 2-0 ‘Goats.

Portland quickly responded in the bottom of the first on a two-run home run by Chad De La Guerra off of Parker French.

Jordan Procyshen hit an opposite-field three-run homer in the second to extend the ‘Dogs lead to 5-2, then Portland brought all nine to the plate in a six-run third. Mike Olt hit a three-run homer, Procyshen pulled a RBI double down the right field line, then Danny Mars hit a two-run blast to make it 11-2.

Parker French (7-8) went 2.2 innings and allowed 11 runs on nine hits. In two starts against Portland this year, French has allowed eight home runs.

Hartford started to climb back, adding a run in the fourth and three more on a home run by Stephen Cardullo in the fifth to cut the deficit to 11-6.

Villanueva (4-3) allowed six runs on nine hits in five innings while walking one and striking out five in the victory. Josh Smith (three innings) and Jake Cosart (one inning) combined to pitch the final four innings and did not allow a hit.

Jeremy Barfield hit a solo homer in the sixth off of Troy Nieman to make it a 12-6 ballgame.

All nine Sea Dogs had at least one hit. Olt finished a triple shy of the cycle while De La Guerra, Barfield, and Procyshen each had two hits apiece.

The Road Ahead

Portland and Hartford play a doubleheader Friday at Hadlock Field, first pitch in game one is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

Radio coverage on the U.S. Cellular Sea Dogs Radio Network begins at 4:45 PM. MiLB.TV starts at 4:55 PM.

As the month of July begins, we created an All-Star team for Red Sox Prospects who

have spent the entire season within the organization. However, we did not include players from Lowell as their season just began a few weeks ago.

Without further ado, here is the complete list.

Starting Rotation

Jalen Beeks – LHP – Portland/Pawtucket

Bryan Mata – RHP – Greenville

Brian Johnson – LHP – Pawtucket/Boston

Roniel Raudes – RHP – Salem

Teddy Stankiewicz – RHP – Portland

Bullpen

Austin Maddox – RHP – Portland/Pawtucket/Boston

Jamie Callahan – RHP – Portland/Pawtucket

Bobby Poyner – LHP – Salem/Portland

Pat Goetze – RHP – Greenville

Josh Smith – LHP – Portland/Pawtucket

Shaun Anderson – RHP – Greenville/Salem

Lineup

CF – Danny Mars – Portland

2B – Chad de la Guerra – Salem/Portland

DH – Rafael Devers – Portland

LF – Bryce Brentz – Pawtucket

3B – Michael Chavis – Salem/Portland

1B – Josh Ockimey – Salem

SS – Tzu-Wei Lin – Portland/Boston

RF – Ryan Scott – Greenville

C – Austin Rei – Greenville

Bench

OF – Steve Selsky – Pawtucket/Boston

INF – CJ Chatham – Greenville

C – Jordan Procyshen – Portland

Util – Heiker Meneses – Portland/Pawtucket

Red Sox Prospects Breakdown

While some of the decisions were very difficult to make, certain players stood out because of their tremendous performances. For example, Rafael Devers and his 16 home runs, Michael Chavis and his .300+ batting average. Then, of course, Jalen Beeks and his 1.1 K’s per inning. Just to name a few.

Similarly, young stars in Low-A ball like Bryan Mata and Austin Rei have consistently excelled, making way for potential second-half call-ups to High-A Salem. Meanwhile, Tzu-Wei Lin and Austin Maddox have already exceeded expectations and played in Boston.

Additionally, players such as Jordan Procyshen and Ryan Scott have come out the woodwork and become solid contributors at their respective positions. Further, Procyshen shines defensively and Ryan Scott has hit for consistent average all year.

Most pro-athletes born in Alberta are in the ranks of the National Hockey League, but not Jordan Procyshen. The 24-year-old Calgarian is the starting catcher for the Portland Sea Dogs and the organization’s top catching prospect. Of course, knowing full well that Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez are already major league caliber players.

The Boston Red Sox drafted Procyshen in the 14th Round in June 2014. He had previously played at Northeastern Junior College and Northern Kentucky. While in junior college, Procyshen hit 15 home runs and batted .418. At NKU, the Canadian catcher batted .276 with 33 RBI in 51 games.

Procyshen developed quickly through the low minors as he was generally older than his counterparts. In 2015, Procyshen had his first full professional season and hit .285 with Greenville before being promoted to Salem in June. This was despite late season injuries. He then spent all of 2016 with Salem, where he hit .249 in 61 games and tallied 29 RBI.

Scouting Report

He has a very solid build for a catcher – 6’10” and 210 lbs.

He has strong contact skills at the plate for a catcher and will hit his fair share of doubles. Power isn’t necessarily one of his plus tools, but he displays some home run ability is spurts.

Procyshen’s best tool is his ability behind the plate. He has a career fielding percentage of .984 and only 17 passed balls in the minors. Additionally, Procyshen has thrown out 80 of 157 runners in his short career- that’s just above 50%.

Via his SoxProspects.com profile, Procyshen has the “potential to be a plus defender. Projects confidence while working with pitchers and setting the defense. Moves well behind the plate and does a good job smothering balls in the dirt. Solid footwork, able to control the running game.”

Scouts, as well as myself, notice that he hustles on every play, which can sometimes tire him out early in a game. However, the fact that he is engaged fully in every play is a desirable trait.

Overall, Jordan Procyshen has a chance to make a big league roster as a backup/emergency catcher who adds value behind the plate. The fact that he can stay consistent at the plate helps as well. I see him maybe serving as a personal catcher for a major league club sometime by early 2019.